In a written answer, James said: “I am pleased to say that SGN has agreed to retain some of the structure for use in any future development/public realm scheme.

“A meeting has been organised in January with SGN, myself, officers and community representatives to take this forward.”

A close-up view of the gasholder

Fletcher raised concerns that a few token remains would be left of the gasholder. (watch here)

“It was disappointing to hear from [SGN’s] head of demolition their timescales for demolition, and that they feel it can’t be disassembled and would be cut up, which I thought was disturbing,” he said.

“Can he give any more details on the discussions he’s had about retaining some of the structure? Are we talking about a substantial part of it? I got the impression they were talking about finding a few struts and putting them in the reception of a new building. That’s not in the spirit of what people are expecting.

“I think people are expecting there to be a visually recognisable representation of the gasholder.”

James responded by suggesting Fletcher speak to local historians who are lobbying to retain the structure: “I agree with you, we would like to see as much as possible with whatever come forward, but the easiest thing would be to speak to [former Peninsula ward councillor] Mary Mills or Peter Luck to have a seat at the table when the community representatives meet in January.”

The gasholder was one of a pair constructed for the old gas works. The other was taken down in 1985. Despite its age and position as a local landmark, there are no legal protections in place to protect the East Greenwich gasholder on historic grounds. Councillors reluctantly removed its designation as a place to store hazardous chemicals earlier this year after a tussle with their own planning officers.

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